Some Patton residents rethink safety

PATTON, Mo. -- Police are still searching for the man who robbed a Patton bank at gunpoint Thursday morning, according to Leo McElrath, chief deputy of the Bollinger County Sheriff's Department.

The Patton community is rethinking their sense of safety, according to Lance Green of Green's Garden in Patton. His store is the next business over from the Security Bank and Trust that was burglarized.

Green said since the robbery, he and other Patton business leaders are considering what they can do to boost security in the rural community.

"We're out here at least 30 minutes away from any law enforcement," Green said.

He said though some people moved to the area to get away from "city life," the "city life" is following them.

"We have to get away from our false sense of security now and start thinking how we can come together as a community and look out for each other," he said.

He said the community is considering a kind of siren alert system and are looking into different possibilities.

The suspect is considered armed and dangerous. Any information should be reported immediately to the Bollinger County Sheriff's Department at 573-238-2633.